Construction Zone...

(Another dark picture, sorry. August has never been my most favorite of months, but this year, it has proven my point- HOT! MUGGY! and OVERCAST! Oh, won't this just make the cool, clear days of Autumn seem ever so much more sublime?)

I started this quilt for my Dh, Bill, to hang in his store. It is a week in the making and coming along nice enough. The letters, I would have preferred wonky as Tonya's, but then I reconsidered as I realized that folks in the business of making houses may not appreciate the charm of a crooked roofline and tilted doors- wonky letters. So I have been walking the straight and narrow and am becoming close personal friends with my dh's graph paper pad. Wonders never cease. Habitat's official colors are royal blue and kelly green- I pushed that up a tad- a`la Emeril. I think the houses are cheerful and fun, without being too untraditional- trying to be a people pleaser, here. Of course, they are batiks. I am determined that after the next project, I really am going to dig out some nice calicos and sew up a quilt top (I have a brown and pink combo, just begging for some slicing and dicing!) I think 5-6 more houses should do me. Bill was hoping I'd have it finished by Sunday, so that he could take it with him on a business trip to Austin, TX, but alas, that ain't gonna happen... well, it could, but then I'd have to somehow be in complete denial that I have company coming, next week. As it is, I am only partially ignoring the sticky kitchen floor and the girls' room... I have plans to do something about that... maybe tomorrow...

Since it isn't likely that the houses will be completed by the deadline, I have, of course, set it aside and started something new. Oh guys, it is so bad when I have a deadline. It's like I am the most perverse person I know! I'll go to any length to sabotage myself- as if I care! But still, a clean house would be nice... So, this is what I have been doing. I am making a sign- similiar to the Habitat sign, for the local quilt shop at which I work and teach a few classes. It'll say, "Quilters' Toy Box." in big purple letters on a watercolored background. Simple border, that's all. She is having her 5th anniversary, next month, so I thought it would be nice to have for her open house. I have been dividing my sewing time, and my "cleaning" time. It goes something like this: Cut out 3 letters, shift a load of laundry from washer to dryer, fold a load of laundry, sew two letters, shift, fold another load,sew a letter, cutter a couple letters, shift, fold, squeeze the baby, sew, fold, shift, cut... Well, you get the picture. And really it is an ideal way to quilt, because I am not as young as I used to be, and gone are the days when I could just sew for hours on end. With a fair amount of pain meds, I might be able to manage it, but I'd be up all night wishing I hadn't, and where's the fun in that? And we all know that I am in this for the fun! I have made quite a big deal out of stretching as much as I can while folding laundry- leaving the basket on the floor and all. Seems to be getting the job done. 6 loads of laundry, so far, and I am done with the word, Q-u-i-l-t-e-r-s. Hope everyone else is having a productive day!